[45: Smile]
(A/N: Not gonna lie, this chapter gets a little freaky.)
Today was their vacation stop at Skagway. After returning to Anchorage, they took a rest day and explored more of the city that they couldn't see at the beginning of the trip.
"I think I'm finally getting used to sleeping here," Ochaco said as the three of them got ready for the flight to Skagway.
"That's good. Since we're all well-rested, we can enjoy Skagway. The main thing we're going to do is a scenic train ride. Now, honestly, that can be the only thing we do all day, and still come out satisfied. Oh…I guess we can check out a little special place as well while we're there," Eleanor said as she also got ready. Unlike when she went to Juneau, she wasn't carrying much.
"Special place? What are you talking about?" Ochaco said.
"You'll see. It's…it'll be a historical lesson. Let's leave it at that," Eleanor said, hiding a mischievous grin and small laugh.
"We're taking another plane, right?" Ochaco asked.
"Yeah. It's a direct flight from here to Skagway. It's a private flight," Eleanor said.
"Is that expensive?" Ochaco asked.
Eleanor only smiled as she looked at her. "Ochaco, don't worry about that. Momo can afford it."
"Me? Let me see the price. If I'm paying for all of us, I don't want to be scammed," Momo said.
"Sure." Eleanor showed Momo her phone, showing her the price of the flights. Momo did the conversions.
"Oh, that's it? I guess I was overreacting," Momo said casually.
"I want to see," Ochaco said. Momo showed her the price in Yen. Ochaco's eyes widened to a comical degree, her eyes bursting out of her face as if she were in a cartoon. "What do you mean 'that's it!' That kind of money could—"
Eleanor interrupted her. "Ochaco, relax. Don't worry about it. I told you not to worry about prices before we came here."
"I know, but…it's so much. And Momo makes it look like it's nothing. It's crazy," Ochaco said, rubbing her head as she processed just how rich Momo was.
"Crazy? I was crazy once," Eleanor said.
"Huh?" Ochaco said.
Eleanor chuckled, waving her hand to tell Ocacho to forget it. "It's nothing. It's a very old joke. Anyway, come on. We'll eat here in the hotel before leaving for the airport.
/\\//\\//\
(A few hours later)
Skagway, Alaska.
The girls stepped off the plane after it landed. They stretched their bodies before retrieving their backpacks.
"Now, what?" Ochaco said.
"We walk. Well, we can walk to the downtown district and explore it, or we can go straight to the train station for the scenic ride," Eleanor explained.
"How far is the walk? And how long is the train ride?" Ochaco asked.
"We can get to the downtown district in like ten minutes if we take our sweet time and take a lot of photos on the way. And the train ride is three hours long at most. I recommend we take the train ride first, so we don't have to feel rushed for time when we're exploring the place," Eleanor said.
"Alright, we'll do that," Ochaco said.
"Nice. Follow me." The girls started to walk away from the airport. The one thing that remained constant so far was the mountains. You just couldn't turn anywhere without seeing a mountain. As they made their way to the train station, the architecture stood out immediately.
"Whoa, did we go back in time or something?" Ochaco said as she looked at the historic-style architecture that preserves the gold rush and frontier history of the town. Wooden buildings, narrow streets, and an old-fashioned aesthetic of the late 19th century.
"It's like those old-fashioned cowboy movies," Momo said as she saw the town.
Eleanor chuckled. "I guess that's one way to say it."
They eventually reached the train station. Inside was a little coffee shop and a gift shop. There also seemed to be quite a bit of people.
"There's a lot more people here than I thought for a small place.," Ochaco said.
"Eleanor told us this is one of the popular tourist spots in Alaska, so that's probably why," Momo said.
"Yeah, there's also a port where cruise ships stop. Since this is a time when cruise ships go to Alaska, we'll see a lot more cruise tourism. It's basically the most important part of the economy here, but enough about that, let's get tickets," Eleanor said.
"Are they expensive?" Ochaco asked.
"How many times do I need to tell you, Ochaco? Don't worry about it," Eleanor said.
The girls bought their tickets. The price would've made Ochaco almost faint, just like when she saw the prices of the private flights.
"This brochure says we'll cross into Canada. I think we'll need our passports," Momo said as she looked through one of the brochures.
"No, we don't need our passports, not for this one. There's another ride that does need a passport, but we don't need it for the one we're going on," Eleanor said.
"Oh, okay," Momo said as she continued reading the brochure.
As they waited for the train to arrive, they heard it. The train whistle of a train outside of the current time period. There was steam coming out of it as it approached. It was a steam train straight out of the mid-20th century. It looked like something bandits would rob for gold or money back in the times of the Old West. Or…something straight out of a cowboy movie.
"That's so cool. I didn't know it'd be a steam train. They still exist?" Ochaco said as she saw the train coming.
"The trains are intentionally preserved for the tourism and aesthetics of the place. Even the train cars are old-fashioned," Eleanor said as the train came to a stop. The doors to the train cars opened, and people started to board it. The workers on the train were even dressed in period-accurate clothes with accessories.
"Make sure you have your phones ready. You will take a lot of photos and videos," Eleanor said.
The inside of the train car had an old-fashioned heater. It was cordoned off, and the workers told everyone that it was dangerous and that it shouldn't be touched. There was even a restroom in the train cars.
"I think the only modern technology here is the restroom," Momo said as she looked around the train.
"It's part of the experience," Eleanor said.
After a brief introduction and some safety reviews, the train started to move. It started simple. It passed by the town before going further into the nature surrounding it. Forests and rivers mostly. On the side of the railroad, there was a cemetery.
"What's that cemetery, Eleanor?" Momo asked.
"It's from way back in the late 19th century. This one's cool because this is where a gangster called 'Soapy' Smith and a hero called Frank Reid are buried after they had a shootout," Eleanor explained.
"A shootout? So it is like a cowboy movie!" Ochaco said.
"You know what? Sure, yeah. It was a legendary shootout with the whole town watching. Women and children watched from windows, and the whole town was silent," Eleanor recounted the story in a much more dramatic way than what probably happened.
As the train chugged along, they passed by a waterfall and more trees on a mountainside. The train took a right turn and approached a wooden bridge. As it passed, there was a valley with a river in the middle, with a rocky surface on the side, before transitioning to a sea of green and trees on the mountains.
As the train continued, it rounded another curve to the right, riding on the side of a valley. On the left side of the train, there was a river with a backdrop of the side of a mountain covered in more trees. Ochaco was frantically taking pictures and videos, a sense of wonder in her eyes. Momo was a bit more reserved, but she was filling her phone with pictures as well.
Up ahead in the distance, there was a massive waterfall cascading down into the valley and river below. It was 6,000 feet, the water coming from the mountains behind it in the distance.
"That's amazing," Ochaco said, mesmerized by the sight.
"That one's called Bridal Veil Falls," Eleanor said.
"And there's still more, right?" Momo asked.
"Yeah. This waterfall lies on marker 11.5 of this scenic train ride. We have a lot more to go. Trust me, it only gets better from here on out," Eleanor said.
As the train went along, it rounded another curve on the right, still along the valley and canyon below. There was still a mass of trees on the mountainsides. The temperature and the air started to noticeably get colder.
"Hey, you two want to go outside?" Eleanor asked.
"We can?" Ochaco asked.
"Yeah. There's a little part we can stand on. It'll give a way better view. Come, follow me." Eleanor got up from her seat, Ochaco and Momo following behind her. They opened the door at the end of the train car, stepping out onto a small platform. Now, instead of seeing nature, they were experiencing it.
"Whoa, it looks even better like this," Ochaco said.
"Just try to withstand the cold. We'll see snow soon," Eleanor said.
"How far does this train go?" Momo asked.
"The summit is 2,888 feet. I mean, uh…880 meters," Eleanor said.
"That feels dangerous," Ochaco said.
"Dangerous? Heh, you'll see dangerous, don't worry," Eleanor chuckled.
In the distance, there was another wooden bridge built on top of a small, flowing river. The bridge was heading into a tunnel. The train continued along the railroad. It took a curve to the left, heading right to the bridge and tunnel. It was still a beautiful sight. Trees, mountains, and valleys were everywhere they looked.
As they approached the tunnel, darkness overtook them. The tunnel inside was rocky and wet. And, of course, there was a literal light at the end of the tunnel.
"Get your phones ready, these reveals are also amazing," Eleanor said, looking forward to leaving the tunnel.
When the train left the tunnel, a bright light overtook their vision before their eyes adjusted to the light, revealing another beautiful sight of nature. A mountain range with a sprawling sea of green trees, a canal below them. Ochaco frantically took more photos. Momo was taking a video instead.
The train took another slight, right, round curve. At this point, more and more snow could be seen on the mountains. There were still trees, but the green was now mixed with a bit of snow. Up ahead, there was a broken bridge, with pieces of material below it.
"Uh…Eleanor, what's that?" Ochaco said nervously.
"That's a steel cantilever bridge. Obviously, it's seen better days, and no, we're not crossing it. It was built in 1901, and it was used until 1969. If you see ahead, there's another tunnel. That tunnel was made as another route to take instead of the bridge we're coming across. At one point in time, it was the tallest cantilever bridge in the world," Eleanor explained.
"How did they even build this all the way up here?" Momo asked.
"A lot of time, people, and probably deaths as well. In fact, this is also a place called Dead Horse Gulch," Eleanor said. From their current position, there was a steep, rugged canyon below them.
"That's a dreadful name," Ochaco said.
"But there's a reason it's called that. You see, back during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898, which is the whole reason Skagway exists, many prospectors would use animals to carry the stuff they needed to hopefully find gold. As the name suggests, there were a lot of horses, but there were also other pack animals like mules and oxen. And unfortunately, many people were so desperate to cross this trail that they overpacked their animals. And what was worse was that the trail was narrow, muddy, steep, and had blockages all the time. This caused the prospectors to beat and abandon their dying animals," Eleanor explained.
"That's so cruel," Ochaco said.
"Yeah, it's unfortunate, and it's worse because by 1898, when a majority of prospectors arrived, there was hardly any gold left to find. You see the ravine below? At one point, the carcasses of 3,000 pack animals littered it. All those animals died from exhaustion from carrying too much weight, starvation, and falls because of how dangerous the trail was," Eleanor explained.
"How sad," Ochaco said.
"Yes, but let's not let it dampen the mood, we still have more to look forward to," Eleanor said. As they were on the platform outside the train car, it got even colder. The landscape started to turn more and more white with snow, and there was a slight snowfall.
"Whoa, it's getting colder really fast," Ochaco said.
"Yeah, but the tunnel up ahead is really cool. Just wait," Eleanor said.
As the train took a slight left on a curve, it crossed over a wooden bridge and into the tunnel. Inside, there was a slight shine and wetness that could be seen. On the sides of the tunnel, there was ice formed and other icy formations. The tunnel was quite long, but just like the other time, there was another light at the end of the tunnel. Just like last time, after their eyes adjusted to the brightness, a winter and snowy landscape greeted them instead of a sea of trees from before. This was the coldest point. Snowfall was visible as the train continued.
On the left side of the train, the American and Canadian flags could be seen side by side, marking the boundary between the United States and Canada. The train reached the summit and crossed into Canada.
"Bienvenue au Canada. The place where they stuck at hockey and barely take the Stanley Cup home," Eleanor said once the train crossed over.
"We're in Canada?" Ochaco said.
"Yup, but don't worry, the train makes a loop, and we go back across the same rail. So, if you missed anything, you have another chance to see it, or, you can just relax and see nature without feeling stressed about taking pictures," Eleanor said.
Ochaco was taking pictures of the American and Canadian flags, and so was Momo. "I can say I've been to Canada now!" Ochaco said.
"So we're going back the same way?" Momo asked.
"Yeah. From here, we'll go back into town. We'll see the same sights and scenery," Eleanor said.
The train went further before making a loop back.
/\\//\\//\
The train started to slow down as it came to a stop back in town. The girls got off, heading back into the station where the gift shop was.
"That was so beautiful! I've never seen anything like it before! I want to go again!" Ochaco said. The excitement is still affecting her from the train ride.
"Trust me, I know the feeling, Ochaco, but we still have an entire town to explore. Let's see what the gift shop has. We can buy some things here, even if they may be overpriced," Eleanor said. They looked around the gift shop and bought a few things before finally heading downtown.
"Wow, this place just looks more and more old-timey," Ochaco said as they walked into town. The architecture was just like a gold rush town.
"What can we do here?" Momo asked.
"Well, we can go shopping, of course. There are places where we can buy clothes, souvenirs, and some artisanal items, local art and stuff, food and drinks, some historical places, and more.
"I am feeling kind of hungry after the train ride. Where can we eat?" Ochaco said.
Eleanor hid a small grin. "Follow me." Eleanor started walking in a certain direction. Ochaco and Momo followed her. A few minutes later, Eleanor reached a place called the Red Onion Saloon. It was a white, wooden building with red curtains behind the windows. Interestingly, there were two windows above the bottom windows with some mannequins peering out from behind white curtains.
"This place looks…interesting," Momo said.
"You're not far off, Momo. Anyway, this place serves good food and drinks," Eleanor said.
The girls entered, and it was something straight out of a cowboy movie. There were racy, old-time black and white portraits in oval frames on the wall. The bar had that gold rush town aesthetic, but with modern amenities.
"So, they have pizza, nachos, salads, drinks, and other stuff. Now, we can't drink any of the alcoholic beverages, but there are non-alcoholic beverages available that taste surprisingly almost the same as the real thing," Eleanor said.
"How do you know they taste the same as the real thing?" Momo asked.
"Let's just look for a table and order some food," Eleanor rushed them along to look for a table.
Some time later, the girls had a feast before them. There was a mountain of nachos, pizzas, and salads, and of course, their sodas.
"Wow, this is really good!" Ochaco said as she ate some nachos. Momo and Eleanor were eating pizza.
"I know, right? It's surprising when you know what place this is," Eleanor said.
"What do you mean by that?" Ochaco asked.
"This place used to be a brothel," Eleanor casually said before eating another slice of pizza.
"Hmm?" Ochaco went still in the middle of getting more nachos. The chip in her hand fell to the plate.
Momo raised her eyebrows in a small nod. "Interesting."
Ochaco blushed. "What? Like….like…paying to…you know, uh—"
Eleanor interrupted Ochaco. "Sex work? Yeah, exactly like that," Eleanor casually said while eating more of her pizza.
"How do you say it so casually?" Ochaco asked.
"I mean, when you talk about a gold rush and the towns that came from them, brothels and sex work are a part of that history, and it's hard not to bring them up when talking about the subject. In my opinion at least," Eleanor said.
"But, this place looks…not like a brothel? It just looks like an old-timey saloon," Ochaco said.
"The brothel is upstairs. In fact, if you two want, we can have a quickie," Eleanor said.
.
.
.
"A what?" Ochaco said.
"A tour. The tours are called 'quickies,' and the tour guide is a madame dressed in a period-accurate outfit. We can do the tour after we eat. Honestly, you should've expected it. Look how the servers are styled; they have an elegant hair style and nice feather accessories on their head. And those pictures that are framed? They are kind of suggestive," Eleanor said.
"A tour? Like, we can go to the rooms where…where the women, uh…worked?" Ochaco asked.
"Yeah, exactly," Eleanor said.
"We should go. This sounds interesting," Momo said.
"Yeah, we should," Eleanor said.
After the three of them finished their food and paid for it, they waited a bit. From the stairs that led up to the brothel museum, a woman in an elegant, black dress with some red accents came down. Her hair was styled in an elegant bun decorated with feather accessories. She stopped just at the midway point of the stairs.
(A/N: Just a heads up for what happens ahead: It's actually like this, I'm barely making anything up.)
"Hello, Red Onion Saloon! How is everyone doing today‽" The woman, with a classy accent, loudly said to all the people in the saloon before she continued. "My name is Madam May Do'ya. And for the right price, I just might! I am one of our resident 'whore-storians' here in the Red Onion Saloon! Now, I have a fantastic opportunity for you folks, because I am in the mood for a quickie!" Madam May shook her chest a bit. Some of the people in the saloon laughed a bit. Ochaco was already blushing up a storm as she heard what Madam May was saying. Eleanor was chuckling a bit, not only at Ochaco's embarrassment, but also at the double meanings of what the Madam was saying.
Madam May continued."A quickie tour, that is! Our services have changed just a little bit since 1898. In just a few minutes, I'm going to give a tour of our upstairs brothel museum, where I'll tell you all the dirty secrets! My lip service is quite well-known around this town! If you want to come…upstairs with me to the museum, make sure to close out your tabs with your servers and bartenders! These lovely women downstairs work long and hard hours, so make sure to leave them a big…tip." More chuckles and laughs. Momo was smirking a little, and Ochaco was redder than a tomato.
Madam May continued. "You may bring a drink if they're paid for, and you may bring a date…if they're paid for. But make sure you don't forget those wallets, because I'm not nearly as cheap as I look! The going rate these days is 20 dollars for 20 minutes of my time, which, honestly, is quite the discount given my usual rate! And don't worry, you won't leave empty-handed!" Madam May lifted up her dress, revealing red leggings underneath. She lifted her leg over the wooden railing. "You'll be going home with a souvenir garter!" She went back to her normal position. "If you're interested, follow me up the stairway to heaven." Madam May turned around and went up the stairs.
"That's…quite an introduction," Momo said.
"Don't worry, that's just the intro, it's not meant to be taken seriously. You'll actually learn a lot on the tour concerning the history of this gold rush town. Come on, let's go," Eleanor said.
The girls made their way up the stairs. After a short wait period and getting ready for the tour, it was time to get started. Madam May went to a smaller flight of stairs, with a red lantern next to the doorway. "Now, before we get started, there are some rules I have to tell you. Since we are a historical museum, you can not touch any of the artifacts, which include the wallpaper and the antiques, and of course, your tour guide here. You are allowed to take pictures and videos, but you will need to turn off the flash and other flash photography, since we do have light-sensitive artifacts. With those rules set, we can get started. Now, this room you're currently in is not part of the original building; this room was added in the year 2002, more than a century ago. The real history is just up this smaller flight of stairs behind me."
Madam May shifted the focus to the red lanterns beside her. "Now, there is one historical artifact here that you are allowed to flash." Madam May lifted up her dress and struck a pose with a leg over the wooden railing again. "And that is the red lantern right here. But I can hold the pose for you, and don't worry, I can hold this position all night." For a few moments, she held the pose for pictures. Eleanor took a picture. Ochaco was still trying to recover from the embarrassment.
Madam May returned to a standing position and started the historical explanation. "This red lantern here is one of the two original red lanterns that would've hung outside the Red Onion all the way back in 1898 during the gold rush, letting all those thirsty and dirty gold miners know that we served something a bit more than just liquor here. And as you can see, even after more than 200 years, this red lantern is still…turned on." A smile and a few chuckles sounded from the people taking the tour. "Now, come and follow me up these stairs, so we can finish." Madam May went up the stairs into the old and preserved rooms of the brothel museum.
As Eleanor and her friends followed, the room they were in, which looked modern and up-to-date, quickly changed to a room that looked more worn down. The floorboards looked old, and the wallpaper was faded, but still had the design visible on it. On the right, there was a display case with various artifacts. Up ahead, there was another display case with dolls in it. On the walls, there were paintings. There were two windows on the left, but most of the lighting came from orange lights and lamps. Even the ceiling looked worn. Of course, it was all preserved and meant to keep the original look. (A/N: It's still preserved in the 22nd century because of quirks and stuff. So, don't ask. Or do; these are just words on a screen.)
Madam May stood on top of a small wooden box. "Come in, everyone, we have plenty of room." Once everyone was in the room, Madam May started. "Welcome to the room where it happened. Has anyone been in a brothel before?" There was a bit of silence, but it didn't affect her mood. "Well, we all have some secrets. Now, this building we are in was constructed in 1897 and opened for business as a saloon and brothel in 1898. Most of what you see here is completely original: the floorboards, the wallpaper, the ceiling, the windows, the doorways, and even the artifacts I'll point out to you."
Madam May continued, "Back in 1898, you could've expected to have 15,000 men compared to the only 300 sex workers here in Skagway. That kind of math is exhausting. If you were one of those 15,000 men and needed some companionship, you would come into the Red Onion, walk up to the bar, and give yourself a shot of liquid courage. And that is where you would've noticed a row of ten dolls behind the bartender."
Madam May pointed to the display case of dolls next to her. "Those dolls there give you a little look into the past and an idea of what it looked like. However, those dolls are not the original. The dolls used back in the day were rag dolls, and the stitching could be replaced as much as needed to try to resemble the ten women who worked and lived here upstairs. The system worked like this: you would've taken a look at the dolls and made your choice based on the preferences you saw. When you told the bartender who you wanted, they would lay the doll on its back, signaling that they would be busy for the next 15 minutes. You would then go up the stairs, where you would meet the bouncer, and they would lead you down the dark hallway to the girls of your choice. You'd knock on her door, and that's where the first rule of sex work comes into play. Does anyone know what it is?"
Eleanor was the one who responded. "You have to pay first."
Madam May chuckled. "It seems we have someone who is experienced. We get a lot of repeat customers. Yes, you would pay first. The price was five dollars. Now, you could pay in cash, but you could also pay in gold. If a miner was successful in finding some gold dust, they could weigh it out, and the bartender would then hand them a token they would give to the woman they chose. Now, after paying the woman and spending 15 minutes together, she would throw the money, or token, down a hole in her room, connected by copper tubes that went all the way down into a safe underneath where the dolls were. This was the money hole, and there was one for each room, so ten rooms, ten money holes. Now, there is only one left, and it's right here in the room we're in."
Madam May pointed to a spot near the doorway where they entered. When Eleanor and her friends looked, it was there. In the floorboards, there was a small hole. "The bartender would be able to hear the clanging and clinking of the money as it went down the tubing. And when they saw the corner of the bar and saw a satisfied customer, they would be able to tell by that customer which doll to lift back up, signaling that that worker was ready for business again. This process was repeated every single evening, every 15 minutes, from 6 PM to 6 AM. These were working girls, make no mistake."
Madam May continued. "This brothel was only active for two years of the gold rush. After those two years, the gold rush moved north to Nome, Alaska, and everyone followed. Because of that, there weren't enough people to keep the brothel open. But this building was still here, and since the time of the gold rush, it's been used for a few things. We've been used as a post office, a telegraph office, a general store, a bakery, a pharmacy, and this building was even an army barracks during World War 2, so we still found ways to service men after the days of the gold rush. You can see the artifacts from these days in the back half of the glass display case to your right. And in the front half, there are the brothel-related items. Those brothel-related items are original. In 1978, when Jan Wrentmore purchased this building, she did renovations to restore the characters of this building from the gold rush days. When she lifted up the floorboards, she found the items that the women would store for safekeeping from more than 200 years ago. Those same items are what you see there in the display case."
There were fans, combs, jewelry, coins, shoes, and more on display in the case. In the other half, there were telegraph-related items. "Now, you may see a curling iron. This place did have electricity in 1898, using a knob and tubing wiring system. If you look up, you can see the same wiring in place that still powers this brothel. This system is very illegal in the rest of the country. Another interesting fact is that this room we are in is actually two rooms. If you look up, you can see the row of screws in the middle where the wall would've been. Now, take another minute to look around and take some pictures. I'll be in the next room waiting, where I'll talk more about the biggest artifact of this museum, and that's the wallpaper," Madam May said as she went into the next room.
"Okay, I'm actually learning a lot more than I thought I would," Ochaco said quietly as she went around taking pictures of the artifacts and the room.
"See? I told you it'd be more informative than you thought," Eleanor said.
"I wonder how much money was made here," Momo asked.
"I think the tour guide will talk more about it in the next room," Eleanor said.
As Eleanor and the girls transitioned into the next room, Ochaco felt a sudden chill on her body, and she could smell perfume. When she looked around, she saw that Eleanor, Momo, and other people did not notice it. "Hey, do you feel that?" Ochaco whispered to Eleanor and Momo.
Eleanor and Momo glanced at each other. Momo didn't know, but Eleanor raised an eyebrow. "No, I don't feel anything, Ochaco. It's probably…nothing," Eleanor said.
Ochaco shook her head and entered the next room. The room was small, and it had a few display cases, most notably one with an intricate dress lying on its back. There were framed pieces of old, faded wallpaper. There was even a large mirror. The tour guide stepped onto another wooden box and a stand. "Is everyone here? Okay, this room we are in is also a few rooms. If you look up, you'll see a row of screws in the middle and a row of screws in the back where a wall would've been. Now, if you see here next to me, it's a doorway to an original-sized room, and how it would've looked back in the day."
The tour guide pointed at the various framings of the wallpaper. "All the pieces of the wallpaper you see here are original to the brothel, and it's what's been able to be preserved. So, why is this important? Well, during the time of the gold rush, there were ten brothels active here. All of them provided the same deal: a room, a bouncer, and everyday needs from the madam of the brothel. This creates competition, not only among customers but also for new hires. To stand out, the Red Onion offered new hires something different. Any of the women who worked here could decorate their room however they wanted, and that included the wallpaper. Each piece of wallpaper you see here represents just one of the women from more than 200 years ago. When renovations were being done, 18 layers of wallpaper were found in one room. Now, this brothel was only open for two years, and 18 layers of wallpaper with ten rooms. The math tells you how many women came through here in just that small amount of time."
The tour guide pointed down to the floor. There was a faded red carpet. "If you look down, you'll see a carpet you're standing on. This carpet is original to the brothel." The tour guide then pointed to the dress lying on its back in a display case. "This dress here is one of our special possessions. This dress weighs 10 pounds and is over 200 years old. It was found during renovations. This dress is made of silver-plated copper pieces that were wrapped around a mesh material and then crushed into place one by one. It was a very tedious process back in the day, and would've cost a small fortune. This dress is transparent and is considered a piece of historical lingerie. It would cover a woman head-to-toe, and it was like this due to a law saying that women had to be covered head-to-toe, but it didn't mention anything about the transparency of the fabric."
The tour guide continued. "Now, this place does have a violent past. Some of the women, when they would leave, never came back. And this violent past is what many consider to have led to our haunted present. That's right, the ladies are still roaming around this place as ghosts. And one of our most famous ghosts is named Lydia. She is still said to roam these rooms, and if you feel a chill or the smell of perfume, she might be near you."
Ochaco's face paled slightly when she remembered what she felt entering this room. She shook her head. That's not true. Ghosts aren't real, after all.
The tour guide continued. "Now, as you can see ahead, that room is a preserved crib that is made to look like what a working woman here would've had all the way back in the days of the gold rush. The largest artifact is a bed, which is a three-quarter twin, so much smaller than what we'd have today. That is also the bed where the women would work and live. After that room, you'll cross into the Madam's room, and you'll be able to see the difference in lifestyle. It was the job of the madam to take care of the everyday needs of the women working here. If you remember, it was $5 for 15 minutes. The madam would take fifty percent of that, and the bouncer would take twenty-five percent of that. After those were taken away, the woman would only be left with $1.25. That might not seem like a lot of money, but the context is important. It costed $6 a day to live in Skagway during the gold rush. If a woman had a 'respectable' job, they could hope to earn $3 for a full day's work. The women here worked 12-hour shifts, earning $1.25 every 15 minutes. When all is said and done, it made sense why so many women worked in this trade. It was the best way, and for some, the only way to make ends meet and survive."
The tour guide continued, "Now, the end of this tour has come to an end. Feel free to explore this room and other rooms further and take pictures. I'll open up the door so you can leave, and when you get downstairs, look a little tired and disheveled. We here at the Red Onion are proud to tell the stories of the brave women who worked here and what they had to go through. Feel free to leave a tip when you get back downstairs." The tour guide got off the wooden box and went into the rooms ahead, leaving the tour group on their own.
"So, what did you two think?" Eleanor asked Momo and Ochaco.
"It was actually more serious than I thought it would be," Ochaco said.
"Come on, Ochaco, it may be small, but it's still a history museum. Yeah, there might be some jokes, but I say they handle it well considering the subject matter and how sex work and prostitution is quite the controversial and divisive topic," Eleanor said.
"That is true. It's quite interesting. It's like all the stuff of a gold rush town is right in front of us," Momo said.
"I don't want to sound like that kind of person, but we are in a preserved gold rush town. Come on, let's see the rooms up ahead," Eleanor and the girls walked into the room ahead. It was very small, a ten-by-ten room. Some of the stuff was cordoned off. There were pin-up posters of girls, a mannequin with clothes, an old bottle of Lysol on display, and more. After taking a few pictures, the girls moved into the next room.
The room of the madam was, just like the tour guide had said, a lot better. The bed was bigger, there was a wardrobe, a large mirror, and the room was overall bigger.
"Wow, the madam gets everything, huh?" Ochaco said as she took more pictures. As she took pictures, she felt that sudden cold and the smell of perfume again. When she looked around, she caught a dark shadow at the corner of her eye. When she looked over, there was nothing. She shook her head, thinking it was just one of the other people in the museum.
'No, no, ghosts are not real!' Ochaco thought to herself. When she looked at Momo and Eleanor, Eleanor was explaining something to Momo. There were only the three of them and another woman in the madam's room. All of a sudden, she felt a caress, like fingers roaming over her cheek. She looked over, but no one was close enough to have touched her. 'P-probably just the wind.' When she looked around, only the other woman noticed her. She said nothing, but just smiled and gently waved at her. Ochaco smiled and waved back.
She looked back at Eleanor and Momo, seeing if they were still busy. When she saw they were, she looked back at where the woman was, only for no one to be there anymore. She looked into the other room, but no one who looked like her was nearby. Ochaco's face lost color and went ghostly pale. "Uh…uh, Momo, Eleanor, I think I've seen enough. We should leave."
"You want to? Yeah, we can. You good there, Ochaco? You look like you've seen a ghost," Eleanor said.
"I'm..fine. Completely fine. Let's just go," Ochaco said, heading to the exit.
Eleanor and Momo looked at each other and just went along.
/\\//\\//\
"So, what did you two think of Skagway?" Eleanor said as they were taking a flight back to Anchorage, where their hotel was.
"It was quite an interesting place. I liked the history," Momo said.
"The train ride was the best part. We visited Canada as well," Ochaco.
"Well, we did, but it's not like we got down and did something in Canada," Eleanor said.
"It still counts!" Ochaco said.
"I guess," Eleanor said.
The girls got on the chartered flight to Anchorage, ending this chapter of their Alaska vacation.